Halloween Punch Cocktails

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                             Halloween Punch Cocktails

Fall has arrived!  The evenings are feeling a little more crisp and the leaves are starting to change colors here in Ohio, and holidays are right around the corner.   This is the time to enjoy friends and family and I love to entertain!  What I don’t love is being stuck in the kitchen bartending at my own party, which is why a punch is ideal.   In the restaurant biz we call it “batching”, as it allows us to make cocktails in large scale amounts so that we have more time to spend with guests. Here are a few of my favorite seasonal recipes, and I have included a few “spooky” variations for Halloween.  

                                               REDRUM 

  • 24 oz. Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum
  • 24 oz. Appleton Estate Signature Blend Rum
  • 24 oz. Red Wine Rhubarb Syrup
  • 12 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

Add all ingredients into a large punch bowl, stir well, and add a large cube of ice.  Fresh cranberries and orange slices will look beautiful in this, or for a Halloween version, add gummy worms and spiders floating on top. 

 *Red Wine Rhubarb Syrup*

  • 2 cups Merlot
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 1 cup Water1 cup Chopped Fresh Rhubarb

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Allow to simmer and reduce for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate.  

                                           ZOMBIE PUNCH

  • 12 oz.  Don Pancho 8 Year Rum
  • 12 oz. Bacardi Gold Rum
  • 6 oz. Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum
  • 6 oz. Grenadine
  • 1 oz. Angostura Bitters
  • 48 oz. Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
  • 6 oz. Spiced Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl, stir well, and add a large cube of ice.  Don’t let all of these ingredients scare you, it is quite simple and once they are all mixed, there is nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy it.  Lychee fruits stuffed with a blueberry look like eyeballs and can really make for a fun and creepy garnish.  

*Spiced Simple Syrup*

  • 3 cups White Sugar
  • 3 cups Water
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool then refrigerate. 

*Large Ice Cube*

To make your large cube-- freeze water in a round or square Tupperware style container 24 hours prior to serving the punch (make sure it is the right size to fit in your punch bowl). When you are ready to serve, simply run lukewarm water over the plastic container and your large cube will easily come out.  * You can freeze anything you want in the water as well, whether that be chunks of fruit or creepy Halloween items like gummy worms, spiders or fingers.  This will keep your punch cold without diluting it, and adds to aesthetic and visual too.

Cris